Evolution and Human Behaviour: Darwinian Perspectives on the Human Condition

Description

Our experience of the world is driven by processes common to all animals: growth, survival, reproduction and death. Evolution and Human Behaviour explores the complexities of the human experience through the lens of Darwinism, drawing on a long and vibrant tradition of different theories and interpretations. This textbook offers a compelling synthesis of key concepts, addressing human thought, feeling and behaviour in fundamental evolutionary terms. This is a essential text for undergraduate students taking courses in psychology, human biology, ethology, anthropology and human behavioural ecology, providing an insightful and comprehensive introduction for anyone who wishes to understand how human behaviour has evolved. New to this Edition: - Additional chapters on health and disease, homosexuality, the nature of adaptations and life history theory. - Includes brand-new material on epigenetics, patterns of crime, error management theory, moral foundations theory, religion and gene culture co-evolution. - Now accompanied by a companion website offering additional reading material and useful practice questions - New 'controversy' boxes in each chapter, providing ideas for essay topics and classroom discussion

John Cartwright is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Biology at Chester College of Higher Education, affiliated to the University of Liverpool.

Cartwright's book is worth a careful look if you are seeking a general and current overview of evolutionary theory applied to human behavior, or if you are trying to identify a resource on the evolution of human behavior for teaching purposes ... The book is of value to a non-evolutionary scholar or student seeking a manageable overview of evolutionary approaches to human behavior ... I have not found a better volume than Cartwright's book for teaching purposes. * Peter B. Gray, Human Nature, Vol. 28 *